Danger-signal device for railways.



Uno, 709,469. Patented sain. 23,19112. l r. a. cHAMEnLm. DANGER SIGNAL DEVICE FVRRAILWYS.

@pplimion mea me. v, 1901.)

(no modal.) :sheets-#sheer l.

No'. 709,469;` Patented sept. 23,1902.

` VI". G. CHAMBERLIN. DANGER SIGNL DEVICE FORRAILWAYS.

(Applicatiop led Dec, 7, 1901..)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

`projecting flanges 7.

einen.

ATENT FREI) G. CIIAMBERLIN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

DANGER-SIGNAL DEVICE FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 709,469, dated September 23, 1902.

Application tiled December 7, 1901. Serial 110.85.020. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that L FRED G. GHAMBERLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Danger-Signal Devices for Railways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact dei scription of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention hasfor its object to provideA an improved signal or Aalarm device for indieating to an engineer or other person on a train that they are approaching danger ahead occasioned by a washout of the track or an obstruction upon the track.

To the above ends the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims. i

The invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a plan view with some parts broken away, showing a portion of a track and illustrating my improved alarm or signal device applied in operative position in con-` nection therewith. Fig. 2 is a transverse vcrtical section on the line .ft2 nos of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2, but illustrating different positions of the parts.

The numeral 1 indicates the ties, jand the numeral 2 one of the rails, of an ordinary railway-track. One of the ties is'shown as extended at one end farther than the other ties, and to this projecting end two standards 3 and 4f are shown as secured. To the upper end of the standard 3 is pivotally secu red, by a bolt 5 or other device, a sheave 6, having To one of the flanges 7 is secured a disk-like head S and to the other is secured an annular frame or holder 9, provided at its center with a bulls-eye or glass disk 10. The head Sis heavier than the frame9 andV bnlls-eye'lO, and consequently tends to hold the saidparts in the normal position. (Indicated in Fig. 2.)

To the upper end of the standard 1 is applied a signal-lamp 11 of ordinary or any suitable construction. The exposed bulls-eyes 12 of this lamp would usually be of white glass, while the bulls-eye 10 within the frame 9 would be of red glass; When the parts stand as indicated inFigs. 1 and, the red bulls-eye (the numeral 10) will be thrown in front of one of the white bulls-eyes of the lamp 1l, and thus the said lamp is made to throw a red light, which will indicate to an engineer or fireman on a train approaching from that side that there is danger ahead.

To small brackets 13 or othersuitable support shown as projecting` from the end of the long tie is mounted a rock-shaft24a The rockshaft 2&1E carries three arms 14, 14, and 25. The arm 14 is connected to the sheave G by a chain or other flexible connection 15. This saine arm 14 is connected by a chain or ilexible connection 16 to one arm of a bell-crank 17, which, as shown, is pivoted to the long tie between the rails. As is shown, this chain 16 runs tindex' a guide-sheave 1S and under oneof the rails, the said rail being slightly spaced from said tie by shimming-blocks 19. The other arm of the bell-crank 17 is connected to one end of a wire or other long trip connection 20. This connection 2O may be of any desired length and should extend over that section of the track where washouts are `likely to occur or Where obstructions, Stich as heavy rocks or landslides, are liable to roll and slide onto the track. At its extended end the trip connection 2O is anchored to a suitable fixed support, such as a staple 2l, shown asd riven into one of the ties.

Between certain of the ties which are 1ocated between the extremities of the trip connections 2O are placed auxiliary ties 1,which are loose, except that they are firmly embedded in the road-bed. `The trip connection 2O is passed loosely through staples or similar devices driven into the ties 1 and l. As is evident, if one of the intermediate ties 1 or 1 should be permitted to lower or to move endwise, as would be the case if a washout should occur, the trip connection 2O would be drawn upon and would force the semaphore aiforded by the head 8 and holder 9 from its normal position (indicated in Fig. 2) into the danger-indicating position, (shown in Figs. 1 and 3;) but it would often happen that said trip connection would be broken, or in case of a rolling stone, which might pass over the same, it would be tightened only for IOO an instant. In either case, with the construction so far described, the semaphore would be operated and thenbe permitted to drop back into its normal position. To obviate this defeet, I provide what I term, broadly, the semaphore or signal actuatorand which vis preferably afforded by a coiled springl 23,

shown as secured at one end to the side of the long tie and at its other end to the arm 14. This spring is so disposed with respect to said arm that when the parts stand in their normal position (indicated in Fig. 2) the line of strain of said spring will be thrown slightly below the pivotal `axis of the rock-shaft 24, and hence will assist the weighted head 8 in holding the semaphore in vits set normal position. In this normal position (indicated in Fig. 2) the connections 16, 17, and 20 hold the arm 14 against further downward movement under'the tension of the said spring. Now it is evident that a temporary pull on the trip connection 20 will throw the arm 14 far enough toraise the line of strain of said spring above the axis of said rock-shaft 24,-

so that the said spring then becomes operative to throw the semaphore into the danger-indicating"7 position and to there hold the same until the semaphore is again set by hand or otherwise.

To afford an additional signal or alarm, I provide means whereby a torpedo is automatically placed upon the track, where it will be exploded by the wheels of a passing train. This device, in what I consider its best forni, is construct-ed as follows: To a suitable bearing, shown as secured on the long tie, is pivoted the lower end of a torpedo holder or arm 27, to the free end of which an ordinary railroad-torpedo 28 is secured. The arm 27 is connected to the arm 25 bya link 29. lWhen the parts stand in their normal position, the

, torpedo 28 is held clear of the track and out of lthe path of the wheels and other parts of a passing train, as indicated in Fig. 2. When the parts are tripped, as already described, and moved into the positions indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, the torpedo is thrown on top of the adjacent rail. The explosion of this torpedo will of course serve to arouse or attract the attention of a sleepy or careless engineer.

It will of course be understood that the construction above described is capable of a large range of modification within the scope of my invention as herein set forth and claimed. A

The expression signal device or signal is herein used in the broad sense to include either a semaphore or a percussion device. The expression track is also used .in a broad sense to include the rails, ties. or

associated devices placed in the road-bed.

It is of course evident that the trip connection 2O instead oi being located between the rails might be located outside of the same and at any desired distance therefrom.

What I claim, and desire to secu re by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. A danger-signal for railways in combination with the bellcrank 14, actuatingspring 23 and trip connections 16, 17 and 20, the latter of which is anchored to the track at its extended end and is passed through intei-mediate guides on the track, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a lamp l1, of a semaphore provided with the bulls-eye 10 and sheave 6, the bell-crank 14 connected to said sheave 6 by connection 15, the trip connection 16, 17, 20 connected to said bell-crank and to the track, as described, and the actuating-spring 23 connected to and operating upon the said bell-crank 14, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a railway-track, of a torpedo-holder for moving a torpedo into and out of contact with the track, and means for automatically throwing said holder from an inoperative to an operative position, comprising the bell-crank 14, the actu ating-spring 23, and the connection 16, 17, 20, which section 20 is anchored at its extended end and is passed through guides on the intermediate ties, substantially asl described.

4. The combination with a railway-track involving auxiliary ties or device placed between the ordinary ties, of a signal device and a trip therefor arranged to be actuated by movements of said auxiliary ties, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the rails and ties of a railway, oi auxiliary ties loosely embedded between the said ties, and a signal device involving a Iiexible trip connection anchored at its extended end and passed loose through guides on the said auxiliary ties,sub stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRED G. CHAMBERLIN. Witnesses:

ELIZABETH KELEHER, F. D. MERCHANT.

IOO 

